Love is a Strong Word
by HarryPotterFan-M
Summary: Love. It’s such a strong word. It can ruin everything if you aren’t careful. That’s what I was always taught: that love is too strong. Too strong to handle." Will Astoria stick to this guideline, or will she accept her love?
1. Prologue

Love is a strong word

_Love. It's such a strong word. It can ruin everything if you aren't careful. That's what I was always taught: that love is too strong. Too strong to handle._

**Prologue**

**He leaned it lips parted. Could I handle a relationship? The emotion is said to make you do unusual things: love, obsession, stalking…or were they wrong-Was I wrong? What did I know…all I know now is that I want him-with everything I have! Could I throw away everything I worked for to stay away from love…or would I just let go and take him: Let go and **_**love **_**him.**


	2. Emotions

**Ch.1: **_**Emotions**_

"**Astoria! What are you waiting for?" My younger sister Daphne called out to me. This was going to be her first year at Hogwarts; it was my fourth year.**

"**I'm coming!" I said as a dragged my heavy luggage down the staircase.**

"**Astoria! What the bloody heck are you waiting for?" she said again.**

**I eyed her coldly, "You remember what Mum said about those kinds of words."**

"**Sorry…, but that's how you and Pansy talk!" Daphne complained.**

"**That's because we are fourteen and you are eleven." I explained.**

"**But Sharra talks that way, too!" Daphne protested again.**

"**Pansy's younger sister? Well, maybe her parents think differently than ours. Speaking of which, Mum isn't even home, yet." I reminded her.**

"**Oh-well still get ready." she demanded.**

**I rolled my eyes. I heard footsteps outside the door; Draco and Pansy were probably here early. I smiled as I opened the door to my closest friends.**

"**Sharra!" Daphne exclaimed when she saw Pansy's younger sister.**

"**Daphne!" Sharra cried out in joy.**

**Daphne led her up to her room; Daphne still freaks out when Sharra comes over, even thought they see each other at least every two weeks.**

"**Hey, guys. You're early." I said to my friends.**

"**My mum is still with your mum in Diagon Alley. She told me to come now." Pansy explained.**

"**I just came because I was getting bored at my place." Draco smirked.**

**I looked at his white-blonde hair and deep, blue eyes. He had such a beautiful smile.**

_**Don't feel that emotion**_** I told myself; it was the same thing every time I saw Draco: I had to try **_**so **_**hard not to have **_**feelings **_**for him.**

"**I'm glad you came early. I have something to show you." I said with a mischievous grin.**

"**You're not gonna kill us right? I was finally going to ask Blaise out this year." Pansy joked.**

**Draco whistled, "Pansy Parkinson in 'Her Epic Failure of Dating'."**

"**Ha Ha. Yeah, Pansy, you say that you are going to ask him out every year!" I added.**

"**But this year, I actually am planning on getting passed saying 'hello' to him!" Pansy said.**

**I sighed…I really wanted to enjoy what everyone else does. All my friends can date. But I am the smart one: I am not going to ruin my life by falling for someone who will never love me. Love is way too strong for anyone. It will eventually fade out and leave painful memories behind to invade my dreams and thoughts unexpectedly. No, love shouldn't even exist…but after all these years of my rare belief, I still couldn't (entirely) convince myself.**

"**Are you going to show us?" Draco asked.**

"**Oh-right. Come over here." I transformed the tone of my voice into a mysterious one.**

**I thought I saw Draco smile to himself…maybe he feels the same way about me-**_**NO!**_** I stopped myself. This is another result of love: letting my imagination run wild. I could think that someone likes me, but when I tell them I like them, they will reject me. Rejection. Tears. Pain. Memories. Pain. Pain. Pain. Tears. And more Pain. I should warn Pansy about these things before she asks Blaise out. I don't want her to experience what I try so hard to avoid.**

"**Are you ready?" I asked remembering that I was going to show my friends something.**

"**Yes-show us!" Pansy said excitedly.**

**I led them up the spiral staircase. The beautiful, black railing with wizarding designs in it would have impressed any half blood. But us purebloods are used to exquisite decorations. I wonder what that Mudblood, Granger's, house looks like.**

"**It's just through this door." I said gesturing to yet another architecturally interesting door.**

**We entered the room.**

"**Well-how do you like…my **_**own **_**bedroom?!" I asked excitedly. They looked around at my room: there was marble flooring that lead to my queen size bed. Across the room was a glass door that lead out to the balcony. I had a white dresser and a lard glass window.**

"**It's fantastic!" Draco said examining the green drapes.**

"**I love the chandelier," Pansy commented, looking up at my tall ceiling, "It's real diamond, right?" Pansy asked.**

"**Of course! Everything is real. I don't use plastic replicas like a Mudblood." I teased thinking of Granger.**

"**What's this?" Draco asked picking up a paper on the ground.**

**Just before he flipped it over, I saw a drawing of his face with hearts all over it.**

"**Nothing!" I shouted and snatched the paper from him.**

"**Gosh! Calm down, Astoria. It's all right. I'm sorry." Draco apologized.**

**I looked at the paper: it was a drawing of me and my friends. And what I thought were hearts, were only ink stains.**

"**Oh…here." I said, handing the paper to Draco. I blushed with embarrassment at my own stupidity.**

"**You drew this?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.**

"**Yeah." I said, looking down at my feet.**

"**Let me see." Pansy said grabbing the paper from Draco's hands, "Whoa, you're really good at drawing!"**

**That only made me flush even more with embarrassment. "Er…thanks."**

**Draco laughed his beautiful laugh. I smiled at him, but I quickly realized that I was being a little flirty because Draco winked back at me.**

**I rolled my eyes at his joke. Draco and I are so close that we can do things like that. It **_**was**_** fake, but I usually stop when I noticed that I let my feelings slip.**


	3. Before Hogwarts

Ch. 2 Before Hogwarts

Just then, I heard more footsteps from downstairs.

"Our parents are probably here now." Pansy said.

"Good morning, Jenni." I heard Mr. Lucius greet my mum.

I rushed down the stairs, Draco and Pansy at my side, and greeted our guests. Pansy's mum: Ms. Tathrine, Draco's parents: Ms. Nacrissa and Mr. Lucius, and my mum: Jenni.

"Ah, hello, Pansy, Astoria." Mr. Lucius greeted us in his drawling voice; Ms. Nacrissa smiled at us

"Hello, father." Draco said.

"Draco, are your bags here?" he asked.

"Darn it! No, I left them at home." Draco fumed.

"Well, let's all go to our mansion then," Mr. Lucius continued, "we still have an hour and a half until we he have to be at the platform."

Pansy stopped mid-groan at a cold look from her mother.

"That sounds like a great idea, Lucius!" Pansy's mum, Ms. Tathrine, said.

"Yes, it does. Astoria, why don't you and Pansy get your bags and we will Apparate over there." My mum told us.

"See you in a bit." Draco said, nodding his head. He looks so great when he does that…_No_ I told myself again. _Draco doesn't like me, and he has no emotion other than friendship with me. He might even hate me in a couple of years. _I almost started crying. _I'm just lying_ I reminded myself. Why did I have to lie to myself, though? So I don't love him. So I think that he doesn't like me and I have no chance with him…that is a lie…I hope.

I followed Pansy back up to my bedroom and got my luggage.

"Daphne, Sharra!" I called out to the down the hall, "Come one, we are leaving now."

Daphne came running out, eyes wide, "I am not even in my robes yet! I still need to brush my hair! I don't even have shoes one!" she stared at her bare feet.

I laughed, "We are going to Draco's house." I told her.

"Well, I still need to brush my hair and have shoes on for that!" She panicked running back into her room. I could hear Sharra's gasp of shock that they had to be ready, then the banging of dresser drawers being slammed shut, and their rushed breathes.

Pansy rolled her eyes, "I wonder if we were like that."

I laughed again.

In a few minutes, Sharra and Daphne came running out of the room, their luggage dragging on the floor behind them.

"We're ready!" they said together.

"Alright. You can change into your robes at Draco's." I told them.

"Cool!" Daphne said, pulling her wand out of her pocket.

"No underage magic." I reminded her curtly, and she sighed, putting her wand back.

"Just a couple more hours." Pansy said.

In a couple more hours, I would be sitting in the common room with Draco and Pansy at my side, and I would be trying with all my might, not to reach out and hold his hand.

"Let's go, girls!" Mum called out from downstairs, "The Malfoy's have already left!"

"We're coming, Ms. Jenni." Pansy said and pulled her luggage downstairs. Sharra, Daphne, and I followed her.

"Ready?" My mum asked.

"Yes." We all said, and grabbed each other's hands. Then we Apparated through compelling darkness, and landed in the entrance corridor of the Malfoy Manor.

"Hey." Draco greeted us.

"Hi." I gasped. Apparating drained me of all the air in my lungs. It was a problem that I was born with, my Mum had it also. It disabled me from going anywhere too far.

Draco walked over, "Are you alright?" he asked.

I looked up at him, "Next time," I said breathlessly, "we are using a Portkey instead."


End file.
